#IWSG: 2023 in one word…

Happy first Wednesday of the month! You know what that means…

That’s right, it’s Insecure Writer’s Support Group day! For those who don’t know, IWSG day is a time when we writers gather together on the first Wednesday of the month to share our goals, our insecurities, our successes, and our fears and offer a word of encouragement to others who may be struggling.

Participants have the option to answer the question of the month or be inspired to post anything related to writing insecurities and triumphs.

This month’s question is brought to you by the lovely co-hosts Jemima Pett, Debs Carey, Kim Lajevardi, Sarah Foster, Natalie Aguirre, and T. Powell Coltrin.

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What word best describes what I wish to accomplish this year? Many made the shortlist, such as…

1. Finish
   Love Poetry has been a WIP for nearly a decade now. At this point, it may forever exist only on my computer’s hard drive and as excerpts on this blog, but I at least want to finish the story.
   
2. Organize
   I’ve lived in disorganized chaos for far too long. I’m prone to procrastination, which often results in me pulling all-nighters. I barely slept the entire month of December because I waited until the last minute to do practically everything—edit and publish episodes for my Kindle Vella story, outline and write stories for my Twilight Zone marathon.
   This year, I want to enforce a writing schedule for myself, something that’s not too ambitious but is still conducive to my goals, something I can stick to it but still allows room for Procrastinating Nortina because she will always inevitably show her face.
   
3. Plan
   Related to “Organize,” having an actual plan. I tend to be impulsive, acting on a whim or emotionally rather than logically when making decisions on which writing projects to prioritize. This often results in me working on too many at one time or completely abandoning them all for something new, which is why so many are left unfinished. I also tend to be obsessive, which is why I am so often up in the middle of the night writing something. So I want to develop an actual plan for my projects, between the blog and the WIPs—when will I focus on what and for how long, etc.

Ultimately, I decided on “Refocus.”

Because I feel it encompasses all of the words on my shortlist.

I want to refocus on finishing my longstanding WIP, Love Poetry.

Mentally, I’m all over the place when it comes to what I want to do with my writing. I want to refocus on one particular goal and work toward that one goal until completion. Several years ago, my pastor taught a series called “Finish What You Start,” and finishing what I start is something I haven’t been able to do for quite some time. So before starting on any new WIP, I want to finish Love Poetry.

I want to refocus on how I approach achieving my goals. How will I balance WIP writing and blog writing? In December, I took an (unannounced) blogging break to focus on finishing my Kindle Vella story, but that was because I didn’t properly plan. The Kindle Vella story was supposed to be scheduled out in November. It wasn’t. So how can I be better in 2023? How can I prioritize one without neglecting the other?

Well first, I need to figure out my blogging schedule. If I know what I’m posting and when, I can work my WIP writing schedule around that.

So, here is what you can look forward to seeing on this blog in 2023:

• January – Bloganuary
• February – Black Poetry Writing Month
• March – Travel Blog (details to come)
• April – A to Z Challenge
• May – StoryaDay May
• June/July/August/September – New serial story “Stranded”!
• October – 31 Days of Halloween Hooligans
• November – Either No Holds Barred Poetry Writing Challenge or, if I’m still working on Love Poetry, I may post excerpts for NaNoWriMo
• December – 31 Days of Holiday Hooligans & Lost in the Twilight Zone Marathon

• Daily – Morning Inspiration
• Weekly – Sunday Morning Tea
• Monthly – Insecure Writer’s Support Group

With my blogging schedule set, how will my writing schedule look? Honestly, I don’t know yet. But at least I have my first steps in refocusing complete: knowing the what and the when. For the rest of this month, I’ll try to figure out the how (I may use this post as a baseline), and I’ll return to you next IWSG day with my plan. 🙂

—Nortina

Do you have a word that sums up what you plan to work on this year? Let’s continue the conversation in the comments!